Shale gas has largely undercut the case for scaling up investments in renewable energy – at least in the near-term. In my view, this was the only meaningful claim that 60 Minutes made about cleantech.

Like a growing number of people, I tend to agree with 60 Minutes. So does BrightSource Energy, which cited low natural gas prices when it pulled its IPO in 2012.

Indeed, natural gas prices were so low in 2012 that it displaced coal as the fuel of choice for electric power generators and pushed U.S. carbon emissions to their lowest level since 1994, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The segment did not say that the federal stimulus investment in cleantech was a complete failure.

"The stimulus investment wasn't a total bust," said Lesley Stahl. "It helped create the successful electric car company, Tesla. A few other companies are starting to show promise and loans are being repaid."

The industry's knee-jerk response to 60 Minutes is more troubling to me than anything said in the segment.

Does the cleantech industry appreciate how significantly shale gas has altered the energy landscape?

If Vinod Khosla's response to 60 Minutes is any indication, it does not.

"At scale, new technologies must compete with conventional fossil fuels on both price and performance – in the U.S., as well as in India and China," said Khosla, in an open letter sent to 60 Minutes.